1 September 2005 -- A police official in Afghanistan is quoted as saying that suspected Taliban militants have kidnapped a British engineer and his Afghan interpreter after an attack in western Afghanistan.

The Associated Press quoted a local police chief, identified as Allah Uddin Nurzi, as saying that the Briton works for a foreign company that has been building a highway from the southern city of Kandahar to the western city of Herat.

The police official said the Briton was kidnapped on 31 August after a convoy he was traveling in was attacked. Four police officers were reported killed in the attack.

AP quoted a spokesman for the British Embassy in Kabul as saying the embassy was aware of an incident involving a British citizen in Afghanistan, but gave no further details. The spokesman said Britain was seeking more information from the Afghan government.